BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//The Rotman Institute of Philosophy - ECPv6.11.0.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:The Rotman Institute of Philosophy X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Rotman Institute of Philosophy REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20140309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20141102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20150308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20151101T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20151028T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20151028T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170817T210919Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T152826Z UID:18103-1446044400-1446049800@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Wayne Myrvold: Einstein and the Atom DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nEinstein’s name is widely associated with the “atom bomb\,” via the formula E = MC2. Less widely known is that he played a key role in providing evidence that atoms exist at all. One of Einstein’s early papers was an analysis of Brownian motion\, the ceaseless dance of tiny particles\, such as pollen grains\, suspended in a fluid. The dance of pollen grains\, Einstein realized\, was evidence that they are being buffeted by smaller particles\, beyond microscopic resolution. This talk will be about the ingenuity required to turn the visible into evidence about the invisible. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nWayne Myrvold is a philosopher of science\, whose work is chiefly concerned with the philosophy of physics\, and\, in particular with the interpretation of quantum mechanics. He has interest in confirmation theory (or perhaps\, better\, in the relation between theory and evidence)\, and has done work on this in a Bayesian context. He has a long-standing interest in the philosophy of biology which has yet to result in any published contributions to that field. \nHe has been a member of the Philosophy Department at Western since 1997. In AY 2004-2005\, he spent half of a sabbatical year at the University of Oxford\, and in AY 08-09 spent a full year there as a visiting Departmental Lecturer in the Philosophy of Physics. In the Winter Term of 2011 he was visiting faculty in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an Affiliate Member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is a member of the Time and Universe research cluster. He is also Subject Editor for Quantum Mechanics for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and is on the Editorial Board for Philosophy of Science \nRead more about Wayne Myrvold. \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster and flyer. \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n \nThis event is co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Western Department of Philosophy. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/wayne-myrvold-einstein-atom/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Einstein at Rotman,History of Philosophy of Science,Library Lectures,Philosophy of Physics,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/myrvoldFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20151021T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20151021T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170817T211217Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T152834Z UID:18105-1445439600-1445445000@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Doreen Fraser: Einstein\, God\, Dice\, and Quantum Mechanics DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nEinstein is best known for his contributions to the physics of spacetime\, the Special and General Theories of Relativity. However\, he also played an important role in the development of quantum mechanics\, the other great theoretical advance in twentieth century physics. Einstein’s famous response to quantum mechanics was that “God does not play dice.” As the quote suggests\, quantum mechanics made Einstein uncomfortable. I will discuss the reasons for his unease—the role of chance\, the failure of the theory to represent reality\, and “spooky” action at a distance. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nDoreen Fraser is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo. The central focus of her current research is the project funded by a SSHRC Standard Research Grant\, which is entitled “A Philosophical Investigation of Issues Raised by Particle Physics.” A turning point in the recent history of physics was the realization that an identification can be made between the theories of statistical mechanics and particle physics. The discovery that the same mathematical formalism can be used in both statistical mechanics and particle physics is surprising because these theories were taken to describe unrelated aspects of the physical world. While the importance of the analogy between statistical mechanics and particle physics is beyond doubt\, the nature of the analogy between the two theories stands in need of further analysis. What has been shown is that the two theories share the same mathematical form\, which establishes a formal analogy. The pressing question that remains is this: Is there a more substantial physical analogy between particle physics and statistical mechanics underlying this formal analogy? The answer to this question is important to both philosophers and theoretical physicists because it has deep ramifications for our understanding of the nature of elementary particles\, the discipline of particle physics\, and the enterprise of scientific theorizing more generally. The goals of this project are twofold: first\, to analyze the analogy between statistical mechanics and particle physics and\, second\, to apply this analysis to address philosophical issues raised by particle physics as well as broader epistemological issues. \nRead more about Doreen Fraser. \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster and flyer. \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n \nThis event is co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Western Department of Philosophy. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/doreen-fraser-einstein-god-dice-quantum-mechanics/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Einstein at Rotman,History of Philosophy of Science,Library Lectures,Philosophy of Physics,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/fraserFCA-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20151015T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20151015T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T173503Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210714T150004Z UID:18110-1444921200-1444926600@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Stathis Psillos: Engaging Philosophy: Einstein on the Method of Science DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nAlbert Einstein said that scientists are poor philosophers. Yet\, he added that especially in periods of scientific revolutions\, scientists should engage in philosophy and should not “surrender to philosophers the critical contemplation of the theoretical foundations” of science. In this talk I will aim to critically examine Einstein’s views on the method of science by placing them within the context of his own historical narrative concerning the crisis of science in the beginning of the twentieth century and the emergence of his theories of relativity. I will stress that his key philosophical endeavour was to clarify the relation between theory and experience. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nStathis Psillos received his PhD in Philosophy of Science in 1994 from King’s College London. Between 1993 and 1998 he was initially assistant editor and subsequently deputy editor of the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. Between 1995 and 1998\, he was a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow\, at the Dept of Philosophy\, Logic and Scientific Method\, London School of Economics. Since 1998\, he has been a Research Associate of the Centre for the Philosophy of the Natural and Social Sciences\, London School of Economics. He joined the Dept of Philosophy and History of Science in the University of Athens\, Greece\, in 1999. He was among the founders of European Philosophy of Science Association and served as its first elected President (2007-2009). He is currently the editor of the journal Metascience. In 2008 he was elected member of l’Academie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences (AIPS). In 2007\, he was co-chair of the Programme Committee for the Philosophy of Science for the World Congress of Philosophy\, which took place in Seoul\, South Korea\, in July 2008. In 2011\, he organised the 3nd congress of the European Philosophy of Science Association\, in Athens. In July 2011\, he was the Springer Lecturer\, at the 11th International IHPST Conference\, held at the University of Thessaloniki. In July 2012 he was William Evans Visiting Professor in the University of Otago\, New Zealand. In March-May 2013\, he delivered the Cardinal Mercier Lectures in Philosophy in the Universite Catholique de Louvain\, in Belgium. He is the author and editor of 8 books (two of which have been award-winning) and over 100 papers and reviews in learned journals and edited books\, mainly on scientific realism\, causation\, explanation and the history of philosophy of science. He has delivered more than 120 talks in seminars and conferences around the world. \nRead more about Stathis Psillos. \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster and flyer. \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n \nThis event is co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Western Department of Philosophy. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/stathis-psillos-engaging-philosophy-einstein-method-science/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Einstein at Rotman,History of Philosophy of Science,Library Lectures,Philosophy of Physics,Public Events,Stathis Psillos,Visiting Fellows ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/psillosFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20151015T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20151015T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170817T211516Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170817T211516Z UID:18107-1444908600-1444914000@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Hugo Critchley: Interoception\, Emotion and Self: How the Heart Gates Feelings and Perceptions DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nInformation concerning the internal state of the body is arguably the basis for emotional feelings and may serve as the primary reference for the development of self-representation underpinning many aspects of consciousness. The combination of functional and structural neuroimaging\, autonomic psychophysiology and patient studies has provided valuable insight into the brain mechanisms though which thoughts\, feelings and behaviours are integrated with the signalling and control of bodily state. Recently\, we have revisited the issue of how information concerning the timing and strength of individual heartbeats influences the perception and encoding of environmental and self-related stimuli. Our observations indicate that this channel of afferent viscerosensory signalling differentially impacts upon the processing of threat\, enhancing the detection and salience of threat signals. This contrasts with the observed inhibition of other types of sensory processing including responses to pain stimuli. The study of interoceptive representations within the brain and their influence on perception cognition and emotion is revealing mechanisms relevant to consciousness science and disorders of selfhood that ultimately may inform new clinical therapeutic targets.\n \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nHugo Critchley trained in Physiology and Medicine in the University of Liverpool and received his doctorate in Psychological Studies at the University of Oxford. He undertook specialist training in psychiatry at Institute of Psychiatry and Institute of Neurology\, in parallel with research fellowships including a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Science awarded 2004. Before his appointment in BSMS\, he was a principal investigator at the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience\, UCL Institute of Neurology and group leader at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. Hugo’s research is now funded mainly by European Research Council and the Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation. \nHugo’s research programme examines brain-body interactions\, combining human neuroimaging with physiological monitoring and patient studies. The research addresses central autonomic control and interoception relevant to emotion. Through the Sackler Centre of Consciousness Science\, the research also applies neural models of consciousness to understanding clinical disorders of mind. \nHugo is Chair in Psychiatry at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS). Hugo is also co-director with Prof Anil Seth of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science\, University of Sussex. \nRead more about Hugo Critchley.\n \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n\n \nEVENT POSTER\n\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster.\n \nThis event was co-sponsored with Western’s Brain And Mind Institute. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/hugo-critchley-interoception-emotion-self-heart-gates-feelings-perceptions/ LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/critchleyFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20151007T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20151007T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T173820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T152853Z UID:18112-1444230000-1444235400@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Chris Smeenk: Einstein’s Path to a New Theory DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nIn November 1915\, Einstein published a new theory of gravity. This lecture recounts the “rough and winding road” Einstein took in developing his theory\, which ended with a dramatic race to the finish. Einstein’s approach was philosophical\, partially guided by conceptual puzzles regarding space and motion. We will consider recent critical assessments of Einstein’s philosophy\, along with the more general question of how philosophy can contribute to physics. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nI began my undergraduate years intending to study physics. I was drawn to physics partly because physicists had obviously been so successful in discovering a great deal about nature\, but also because modern physics is so strikingly creative and counterintuitive. In my freshmen year of college\, I studied philosophy for the first time as part of an intensive humanities program. The first term of that course (taught by Ruth Marcus) was responsible for kindling my interest in philosophy. I discovered that it was possible to pursue both physics and philosophy\, as a combined major. Thinking about these topics was exciting and rewarding enough that I decided to go on to graduate study\, at Pittsburgh’s Department of History and Philosophy of Science. \nHPS at Pitt was an incredibly enriching experience. HPS departments tend to be more closely aligned with either history of science or philosophy of science. A colleague in graduate school once memorably described Pitt’s department as neither “big H” (emphasis on history) nor “big P” (emphasis on philosophy)\, but instead “big S” (emphasis on science). Like most of my peers in graduate school\, I developed the skills to do “big S”-style work by continuing to study physics. My dissertation is a historical and philosophical study of the development of early universe cosmology. This has continued to be a major focus of my research\, but I also have worked on topics ranging from Newton’s work to the nature of time in Einstein’s theory of gravity. The common thread tying together all of this work is an interest in both what specific physical theories say about the world\, and how we should justify and evaluate these theories. \nAfter finishing my dissertation\, I held a postdoc at the Dibner Institute (affiliated with MIT) for one year. I was then an assistant professor of philosophy for four years at UCLA before accepting a position at Western in 2007. \nRead more about Chris Smeenk. \nEVENT POSTER\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster and flyer. \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n \n \nThis event is co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Western Department of Philosophy. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/chris-smeenk-einsteins-path-new-theory/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Einstein at Rotman,History of Philosophy of Science,Library Lectures,Philosophy of Physics,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/pathFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150930T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150930T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T174133Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170818T174133Z UID:18114-1443612600-1443618000@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:David Chalmers: Spatial Experience and Virtual Reality DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nDo virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift produce the illusion of an external reality? Or do they produce non-illusory experiences of a virtual reality? I address this question by starting with an analogous question about mirrors. When one looks in a mirror\, does one undergo the illusion that there is someone on the other side of the mirror\, or does one have a non-illusory experience of someone on this side of the mirror? I will argue that at least for familiar users of mirrors\, there is no illusion. Knowledge of mirrors provides a sort of cognitive orientation (a variety of cognitive penetration) that affects the content of visual experience and renders it non-illusory. I will suggest that familiar users of virtual reality devices have a similar sort of cognitive orientation that renders their experience non-illusory.\n  \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nDavid Chalmers is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at Australian National University\, and Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Center for Mind\, Brain\, and Consciousness at New York University. \nHe works in the philosophy of mind and in related areas of philosophy and cognitive science. He is especially interested in consciousness\, in addition to all sorts of other issues in the philosophy of mind and language\, metaphysics and epistemology\, and the foundations of cognitive science. \nRead more about David Chalmers.\n \nEVENT POSTER\n\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster.\n \nEVENT VIDEO\n\n\n \nThis event is co-sponsored with the Department of Philosophy. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/david-chalmers-spatial-experience-virtual-reality/ LOCATION:Room 100 – Physics and Astronomy Building\, Physics and Astronomy Building\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 3K7\, Canada CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/chalmersFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150919T050000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150919T123000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T174353Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170818T174353Z UID:18116-1442638800-1442665800@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Katarzyna de Lazai-Radek and Peter Singer: Author-Meets-Critics: The Point of View of The Universe DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\n“The Point of View of the Universe: Sidgwick and Contemporary Ethics” is devoted to interpreting and defending in a contemporary setting a number of the doctrines found in Henry Sidgwick’s “The Methods of Ethics”. It therefore discusses a wide number of moral problems of interest to contemporary moral philosophers\, including the conflict between self-interest and morality\, the nature of moral reasons\, the nature of well-being\, the demands of morality\, the conflict between utilitarianism and deontology\, among many others. The author-meets-critics session will include presentations that discuss the interpretive and the normative claims defended in Katarzyna de Lazai-Radek and Peter Singer’s 2014 book\, “The Point of View of the Universe”. \nAUTHOR PROFILES\n\n \nKatarzyna de Lazari-Radek is a Polish utilitarian philosopher and lecturer at the Institute of Philosophy at Lodz University in Poland where she also completed her dissertation. Professor Lazari-Radek also teaches an intensive summer seminar on utilitarian ethics at the European Graduate School (EGS) together with the famous applied ethics philosopher\, also one of the animal rights founder\, Peter Singer. She would do two Master’s degrees\, also at Lodz University\, one in English Literature (2000) and one in Philosophy (2001). Lazari-Radek’s doctoral dissertation (2007) examined the work of the utilitarian English philosopher and economist Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900)\, whose work on work has had a lasting impact\, especially in economics. Her dissertation was entitled Good and Reason in the Moral Philosophy of Henry Sidgwick (2007). \nProfessor Lazari-Radek’s research since then has focused on a plethora of ethical issues\, including bioethics\, medical ethics\, the ethics of aid\, the ethical aspects of globalization\, as well as both the ethics of journalism and the ethics of research. \nRead more about Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek. \nPhoto by Tony Phillips – ICEL 2014 \nPeter Singer is an Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. From 2005 on\, he has also held the part-time position of Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne\, first in the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics\, and then in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. \nPeter Singer first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation. His other books include: Democracy and Disobedience; Practical Ethics; The Expanding Circle; Marx; Hegel; Animal Factories (with Jim Mason); The Reproduction Revolution (with Deane Wells)\, Should the Baby Live? (with Helga Kuhse)\, How Are We to Live?\, Rethinking Life and Death\, Ethics into Action\, A Darwinian Left\, One World\, Pushing Time Away\, The President of Good and Evil\, How Ethical is Australia? (with Tom Gregg)\, The Way We Eat (with Jim Mason) and The Life You Can Save. He also co-authored The Greens with Bob Brown\, founder of the Australian Greens. Books he has edited or co-edited include Test-Tube Babies; In Defence of Animals; Applied Ethics; Animal Rights and Human Obligations; Embryo Experimentation; A Companion to Ethics; The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity\, Ethics\, A Companion to Bioethics\, Bioethics: An Anthology\, The Moral of the Story\, In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave and Stem Cell Research: The Ethical Issues. His works have appeared in more than 20 languages. He is the author of the major article on Ethics in the current edition of the Encylopaedia Britannica. Two collections of his writings have been published: Writings on an Ethical Life\, which he edited\, and Unsanctifying Human Life\, edited by Helga Kuhse. There are also two collections of critical essays about his work\, which include his responses: Singer and His Critics\, edited by Dale Jamieson\, and Peter Singer Under Fire\, edited by Jeffrey Schaler. The latter includes a 75 page “Intellectual Autobiography.” \nPeter Singer was the founding President of the International Association of Bioethics\, and with Helga Kuhse\, founding co-editor of the journal Bioethics. Outside academic life\, he is the co-founder\, and President\, of The Great Ape Project\, an international effort to obtain basic rights for chimpanzees\, gorillas and orangutans. He is also President of Animal Rights International. \nRead more about Peter Singer. \nEVENT SCHEDULE\n\n9:00-9:30: Coffee \n9:30-10:00: Presentation: Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer: The main themes of “The Point of View of the Universe”. \n10:00-11:15: Presentation: Thomas Hurka (Toronto) \n11:15 -11:30: Break \n11:30-12:45: Presentation: Jennifer Hawkins (Duke) \n12:45-1:45: Lunch \n1:45-3:00: Presentation: Anthony Skelton (Western) \n3:00-3:15: Break \n3:15-4:30: Presentation: David Phillips (Houston) URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/katarzyna-de-lazai-radek-peter-singer-author-meets-critics-point-view-universe/ LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ethics ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/singer3FCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150918T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150918T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T174731Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220816T170745Z UID:18118-1442575800-1442581200@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Peter Singer: Animal Liberation\, Forty Years On DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nPeter Singer’s Animal Liberation\, often credited with starting the modern animal rights movement\, was first published in September 1975. In this lecture\, the author assesses how well the argument has stood up over that period\, and what progress has been made towards the changes in our treatment of animals that the book advocates.\n \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nPhoto by Tony Phillips – ICEL 2014 \nPeter Singer is an Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. From 2005 on\, he has also held the part-time position of Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne\, first in the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics\, and then in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. \nPeter Singer first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation. His other books include: Democracy and Disobedience; Practical Ethics; The Expanding Circle; Marx; Hegel; Animal Factories (with Jim Mason); The Reproduction Revolution (with Deane Wells)\, Should the Baby Live? (with Helga Kuhse)\, How Are We to Live?\, Rethinking Life and Death\, Ethics into Action\, A Darwinian Left\, One World\, Pushing Time Away\, The President of Good and Evil\, How Ethical is Australia? (with Tom Gregg)\, The Way We Eat (with Jim Mason) and The Life You Can Save. He also co-authored The Greens with Bob Brown\, founder of the Australian Greens. Books he has edited or co-edited include Test-Tube Babies; In Defence of Animals; Applied Ethics; Animal Rights and Human Obligations; Embryo Experimentation; A Companion to Ethics; The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity\, Ethics\, A Companion to Bioethics\, Bioethics: An Anthology\, The Moral of the Story\, In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave and Stem Cell Research: The Ethical Issues. His works have appeared in more than 20 languages. He is the author of the major article on Ethics in the current edition of the Encylopaedia Britannica. Two collections of his writings have been published: Writings on an Ethical Life\, which he edited\, and Unsanctifying Human Life\, edited by Helga Kuhse. There are also two collections of critical essays about his work\, which include his responses: Singer and His Critics\, edited by Dale Jamieson\, and Peter Singer Under Fire\, edited by Jeffrey Schaler. The latter includes a 75 page “Intellectual Autobiography.” \nPeter Singer was the founding President of the International Association of Bioethics\, and with Helga Kuhse\, founding co-editor of the journal Bioethics. Outside academic life\, is the co-founder\, and President\, of The Great Ape Project\, an international effort to obtain basic rights for chimpanzees\, gorillas and orangutans. He is also President of Animal Rights International. \nRead more about Peter Singer.\n \nEVENT POSTER\n\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster.\n \nEVENT VIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/peter-singer-animal-liberation-forty-years/ LOCATION:Great Hall – Somerville House\, Somerville House\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ethics,Public Events,Public Lectures,Rotman Lectures,Science and Values ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/singer2FCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150917T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150917T163000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T175047Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220816T170756Z UID:18122-1442502000-1442507400@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Peter Singer: The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nEffective altruism is built upon the simple but profound idea that living a fully ethical life involves doing the “most good you can do.” Such a life requires an unsentimental view of charitable giving: to be a worthy recipient of our support\, an organization must be able to demonstrate that it will do more good with our money or our time than other options open to us.  In this talk\, Singer will introduce us to an array of remarkable people who are restructuring their lives in accordance with these ideas\, and show how effective altruism challenges common views about the choice between different good causes. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nPhoto by Tony Phillips – ICEL 2014 \nPeter Singer is an Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. From 2005 on\, he has also held the part-time position of Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne\, first in the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics\, and then in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies. \nPeter Singer first became well-known internationally after the publication of Animal Liberation. His other books include: Democracy and Disobedience; Practical Ethics; The Expanding Circle; Marx; Hegel; Animal Factories (with Jim Mason); The Reproduction Revolution (with Deane Wells)\, Should the Baby Live? (with Helga Kuhse)\, How Are We to Live?\, Rethinking Life and Death\, Ethics into Action\, A Darwinian Left\, One World\, Pushing Time Away\, The President of Good and Evil\, How Ethical is Australia? (with Tom Gregg)\, The Way We Eat (with Jim Mason) and The Life You Can Save. He also co-authored The Greens with Bob Brown\, founder of the Australian Greens. Books he has edited or co-edited include Test-Tube Babies; In Defence of Animals; Applied Ethics; Animal Rights and Human Obligations; Embryo Experimentation; A Companion to Ethics; The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity\, Ethics\, A Companion to Bioethics\, Bioethics: An Anthology\, The Moral of the Story\, In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave and Stem Cell Research: The Ethical Issues. His works have appeared in more than 20 languages. He is the author of the major article on Ethics in the current edition of the Encylopaedia Britannica. Two collections of his writings have been published: Writings on an Ethical Life\, which he edited\, and Unsanctifying Human Life\, edited by Helga Kuhse. There are also two collections of critical essays about his work\, which include his responses: Singer and His Critics\, edited by Dale Jamieson\, and Peter Singer Under Fire\, edited by Jeffrey Schaler. The latter includes a 75 page “Intellectual Autobiography.” \nPeter Singer was the founding President of the International Association of Bioethics\, and with Helga Kuhse\, founding co-editor of the journal Bioethics. Outside academic life\, he is the co-founder\, and President\, of The Great Ape Project\, an international effort to obtain basic rights for chimpanzees\, gorillas and orangutans. He is also President of Animal Rights International. \nRead more about Peter Singer. \nEVENT POSTER\n\n\nDownload a copy of the event poster.\n \nEVENT VIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/peter-singer-good-can-effective-altruism-changing-ideas-living-ethically/ LOCATION:Great Hall – Somerville House\, Somerville House\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ethics,Public Events,Public Lectures,Rotman Lectures,Science and Values ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/singer1FCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150605 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20150608 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T175433Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181109T193334Z UID:18124-1433534400-1433707199@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Gravity and Geometry: Centenary Perspectives on General Relativity DESCRIPTION:2015 Annual Philosophy of Physics Conference\n\nParticipants will present physical\, philosophical\, and historical reflections on Einstein’s theory of gravity and space-time geometry\, its development over the past century\, and its future prospects. \nThe conference will include speakers: \nKaća Bradonjić (Wellesley College) \nCarla Cederbaum (University of Tuebingen) \nMichael Friedman (Stanford University) \nMarco Giovanelli (Einstein Papers Project) \nJohn Norton (University of Pittsburgh) \nLee Smolin (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics) \nView the conference schedule. \nFor further information\, visit http://logicmathphysics.ca./philosophy-physics-conference/ \nDownload a poster. \nCONFERENCE VIDEOS URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/gravity-geometry-centenary-perspectives-general-relativity/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Conference,History of Philosophy of Science,Other Conferences,Philosophy of Physics ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/conferenceFCA1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150603 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20150606 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T175731Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T162246Z UID:18126-1433361600-1433534399@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:2015 Philosophy of Logic Math and Physics Graduate Student Conference DESCRIPTION:The fifteenth annual Philosophy of Logic\, Math and Physics (LMP) Graduate Student Conference will take place June 4-5\, 2015 at Western University in London\, Ontario\, Canada. The LMP Graduate Student Conference will bring together philosophers of logic\, mathematics\, and physics for two days of presentations and discussions with some of the leaders in these fields. \n2015 Keynote Speaker: Elaine Landry is a professor of philosophy at the University of California-Davis. Her current research focuses on the philosophy of mathematics\, most notably she specializes on topics relating to category theory and structuralism. \nFor program\, accommodation details and past conferences visit http://logicmathphysics.ca/. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/2015-philosophy-logic-math-physics-graduate-student-conference/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Conference,Graduate Student Events,Philosophy of Physics ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/campus.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150520 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20150524 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T175945Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T162252Z UID:18128-1432152000-1432411199@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:2015 PhilMiLCog Graduate Student Conference DESCRIPTION:PhilMiLCog is a three-day graduate conference with a broad and interdisciplinary scope. The conference\, now in its 13th year\, is recognized as one of the top philosophy graduate conferences in North America\, synthesizing research from the Philosophy of Mind\, Language\, and Cognitive science\, including psychology\, linguistics\, evolution\, and computer science. PhilMiLCog provides an opportunity for graduate students with common interests from various departments in North America and Europe to come together and participate in lively scholarly research with a leading experts in their field. \nFor more information\, visit http://publish.uwo.ca/~mivanowi/philmilcog/index.html. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/2015-philmilcog-graduate-student-conference/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Conference,Graduate Student Events,Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/globalFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150505 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20150509 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T180307Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T162258Z UID:18130-1430856000-1431115199@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Algorithms and Complexity in Mathematics\, Epistemology and Science DESCRIPTION:ACMES (Algorithms and Complexity in Mathematics\, Epistemology and Science) is a multidisciplinary conference that focuses on a combination of the science of reliability and uncertainty quantification with conceptual and foundational issues concerning reliability in the application of scientific theories to real phenomena. The conference integrates longer talks from six leading computational scientists and philosophers of science with shorter computational research contributions from others\, including graduate students\, in computational science and epistemology of science. \nACMES is held in conjunction with Southern Ontario Numerical Analysis Day (SONAD). Read more about ACMES. \n \nINVITED TALKS\n\n\nAnouk Barberousse\, History and Philsophy of Science\, Université Lille 1\, France\nCommunity Modeling Systems as a Challenge to Reliability \nClimate computer simulations involve large teams of researchers who have to collaborate on designing and using computer programmes. Several disciplines are concerned: statistical physics\, hydrodynamics\, geologists\, applied mathematicians\, computer scientists\, etc. In order to better understand how reliable knowledge is produced via climate simulations\, I shall focus on several examples of community modelling involving different types of collaboration\, from more centralized to more open ones\, and I shall examine in each case how reliability is achieved. At first view\, it might seem that reliability is directly related with centralization; however\, as climate modeling is subject to the time constraint\, which demands the results to come at a quick pace\, centralized modes of collaboration may not be the most efficient ones. \nRobert Batterman\, Department of Philosophy\, University of Pittsburgh\nAsymptotics\, Minimal Models\, Multiscale Techniques \nMuch of applied mathematical modeling involves appeal to simple\, “toy\,” or “minimal” models. A minimal model is one that “most economically caricatures the essential physics.” [N. Goldenfeld] The requirement of economy is important and it is what allows one to draw (at least some) comparisons between various examples from across the sciences. Thus\, the fruitfly drosophila\, is a minimal model for human biological evolution\, the ascidians (sea squirts) are minimal models for some aspects of human developmental biology\, lattice gas models function as mimimal models for certain investigations into the nature of fluid flow\, and we shouldn’t forget the importance of the Ising model and its various generalizations for understand phase transitions in both fluids and magnets. This talk addresses the question of how it is possible that such extreme caricatures can play explanatory and sometimes predictive roles in our attempts to model more complex and real systems. \nMax Gunzburger\, Department of Applied Mathematics\, Florida State University\nUncertainty Quantification for Complex Systems \nUQ efforts for complex systems such as those governed by partial differential equations require computationally expensive means to determine the uncertainties of system outputs from given uncertainty information about system inputs. This effort suffers from the dreaded “curse of dimensionality:” the explosive growth in computational expense as the number of uncertain variables increases and/or the desired accuracy of approximations improves. We discuss several probabilistically based approaches for dealing with such UQ problems as well as model calibration\, design\, and control problems and to applications for risk quantification and rare events. \nUrsula Martin\, Department of Computer Science\, Oxford\nMathematical Practice\, Crowdsourcing and Social Machines \nMathematical practice is an emerging interdisciplinary field which draws on philosophy\, social science and ethnography\, and the input of mathematicians themselves\, to understand how mathematics is produced. Online mathematical activity provides a rich source of data for empirical investigation of mathematical practice – for example the community question answering system mathoverflow contains around 40\,000 mathematical conversations\, and polymath collaborations provide transcripts of the process of discovering proofs. Such investigations show the importance of “soft” aspects such as analogy and creativity\, alongside formal deduction\, in the production of mathematics\, and give us new ways to think about the possible complementary roles of people and machines in creating new mathematical knowledge. \nSocial machines are new paradigm\, identified by Berners-Lee\, for viewing a combination of people and computers as a single problem-solving entity\, and the subject of major international research endeavours. I present progress on a research agenda for mathematics social machines\, a combination of people\, computers\, and mathematical archives to create and apply mathematics\, which is being pursued at Oxford under an EPSRC Fellowship. \nJesús Sanz-Serna\, Department of Applied Mathematics\, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid\nThe Power of Randomness \nMany phenomena around us are random and mathematics\, as a pattern-seeking science\, has succeeded in making sense of them. Unfortunately our minds do not operate in ways that allow us to be in tune with randomness. My talk will be a series of examples that make apparent the difficulties we all face when dealing with probability; these examples\, while mathematically very simple\, will hopefully be thought-provoking. \nMark Wilson\, Department of Philosophy\, University of Pittsburgh\nApproximation’s Hidden Hand \nLanguage often works most efficiently if it practices a division of descriptive labor\, in which different semantic chores are parceled out to different representations operating in coordinated harmony. In this talk\, I’ll discuss how satellite “approximations” of a finite element stripe played a central but acknowledged role in keeping the development of classical mechanics moving forward in a profitable way.\n \nCONFERENCE PLAYLIST URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/algorithms-complexity-mathematics-epistemology-science/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Conference,Other Conferences,Philosophy of Science ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/acmes-display.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150501T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150501T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T180539Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170818T180539Z UID:18132-1430479800-1430485200@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Peter Anstey: Locke on Measurement DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThis Rotman Lecture concerns John Locke’s practical and theoretical interest in measurement. Locke’s fascination with the measurement of weight\, distance\, time and monetary value is evident throughout his notebooks\, journal and correspondence. It is hardly surprising\, therefore\, that it features in his philosophical reflections as early as Drafts A and B of the Essay concerning Human Understanding (1671) and informs his economic writings. This lecture examines his long-term interest in measurement systems\, techniques and instruments as well as the role of measurement in his ideal natural philosophy. \nView a copy of Locke on Measurement. (Peter R. Anstey (forthcoming). Locke on Measurement. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A.) \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nPeter is ARC Future Fellow and Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Sydney. It is worth noting that Professor Anstey is the author of John Locke and Natural Philosophy (Oxford University Press\, 2011)\, editor of The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century (2013); editor of numerous volumes on Locke (John Locke (Routledge\, 2006)\, John Locke: Critical Assessments of Leading Philosophers\, Series II (Routledge\, 2006) and The Philosophy of John Locke: New Perspectives (Routledge\, 2003)\, etc.); and author of many articles on Locke\, Boyle\, Bacon\, Newton\, Reid\, and Descartes. \nRead more about Peter Anstey. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/peter-anstey-locke-measurement/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:History of Philosophy of Science,Philosophy of Science ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/ansteyFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150417T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150417T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T180940Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200608T160728Z UID:18134-1429270200-1429275600@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Helen Longino: Individuals or Populations: How Scale Matters DESCRIPTION:This lecture will explore the difference between studying human behavior as an individual characteristic versus studying it as a group property. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nHelen Longino’s teaching and research interests are in philosophy of science\, social epistemology\, and feminist philosophy. She is the author of The Fate of Knowledge (Princeton University Press\, 2002)\, and many articles in the philosophy of science\, feminist philosophy and epistemology. Among her many co-edited volumes is the Scientific Pluralism\, Vol. XIX of the Minnesota Studies in Philosophy of Science. Her most recent book is Studying Human Behavior (The University of Chicago Press\, 2013)\, which regards comparative analysis of five approaches in the sciences of human behavior\, focusing on research on both sexual behavior and aggression. This analysis includes both an examination of the logical structures and interrelations of these approaches and study of their social and cultural reception and uptake. \nRead more about Helen Longino. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/helen-longino-individuals-populations-scale-matters/ LOCATION:Dr. David S.H. Chu International Student Centre\, International and Graduate Affairs Building\, Western University\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Biology,Science and Values ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/longinoFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150416T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150416T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170822T185303Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200608T161053Z UID:18389-1429189200-1429194600@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Helen Longino: Perspectives and Pluralities DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThis lecture will explore how the same phenomenon assumes different forms from different research perspectives and consequences of this for our understanding of scientific knowledge. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nHelen Longino’s teaching and research interests are in philosophy of science\, social epistemology\, and feminist philosophy. She is the author of The Fate of Knowledge (Princeton University Press\, 2002)\, and many articles in the philosophy of science\, feminist philosophy and epistemology. Among her many co-edited volumes is the Scientific Pluralism\, Vol. XIX of the Minnesota Studies in Philosophy of Science. Her most recent book is Studying Human Behavior (The University of Chicago Press\, 2013)\, which regards comparative analysis of five approaches in the sciences of human behavior\, focusing on research on both sexual behavior and aggression. This analysis includes both an examination of the logical structures and interrelations of these approaches and study of their social and cultural reception and uptake. \nRead more about Helen Longino. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/helen-longino-perspectives-pluralities/ LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Science ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/longinoFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150320T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150320T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T181157Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170818T181157Z UID:18136-1426851000-1426856400@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Pierre Jacob: What is So Special About Human Social Cognition? DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nI will argue for a three-tiered answer to the question. \n(1) Only humans are able to track the contents of others’ false beliefs. \n(2) Only humans are able to engage in ostensive cooperative communicative actions. \nSince I assume that not all\, but much\, of the answer to the question is likely to come from the developmental investigation of the social cognitive capacities of preverbal human infants\, I will argue that there is evidence that (1) and (2) are true of preverbal human infants. \nFinally\, I will argue for (3): \n(3) The capacity to track the contents of others’ false beliefs derives from the demands of ostensive cooperative communication. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nPierre Jacob is a French philosopher of mind and the cognitive sciences. In the early 1980’s\, he published a couple of books in French devoted to the rise and fall of logical empiricism in the philosophy of science (L’empirisme logique\, ses antécédents\, ses critiques\, Paris\, Editions de Minuit\, 1980 et De Vienne à Cambridge\, l’héritage du positivisme logique\, Paris\, Gallimard\, 1980). \nIn the 1990’s much of his work was devoted to the metaphysics of intentionality from a naturalistic perspective (including a book entitled What Minds Can Do\, Cambridge\, Cambridge University Press\, 1997\, whose French version is called Pourquoi les choses ont-elles un sens ? Paris\, Odile Jacob\, 1997. In 2004\, he published L’Intentionnalité\, problèmes de philosophie de l’esprit (Paris\, Odile Jacob\, 2004). \nIn the past fifteen years\, his work has shifted from the metaphysics of intentionality to the philosophy of the cognitive sciences. \nIn collaboration with the French cognitive neuroscientist Marc Jeannerod (who died in 2011)\, he co-authored a book devoted to the two-visual systems model of human vision (Ways of Seeing\, the Scope and Limits of Visual Cognition\, Cognitive Science Series\, Oxford University Press\, 2003). \nRecently\, he has published papers devoted to issues in human social cognition\, including the significance of the discovery of mirror neurons\, empathy\, mind-reading and moral cognition. \nHe holds a CNRS position at the Institut Jean Nicod in Paris. He was director of Institut Jean Nicod (2001-2009). He was elected President of the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology (2001-2003). \nRead more about Pierre Jacob. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/pierre-jacob-special-human-social-cognition/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Mind & Neuroscience ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/jacobFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150306T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150306T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T181402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220816T170806Z UID:18138-1425637800-1425643200@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Elisabeth Lloyd: The Orgasm Wars DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nThere has been a fierce battle occurring among people who explain the evolution of human female orgasm\, about its evolutionary origins and nature. The core issue is that the female orgasm presents an evolutionary puzzle. Unlike the male orgasm\, female orgasm is not associated with any increase in fertility or reproductive success. Several types of theories have been offered for the evolution of the trait\, but I shall show that only one of them has very much evidence supporting it\, while the others are flawed by conflicts with the evidence. Oddly\, these conflicts went unnoticed for many years by the scientists themselves\, through the operation of both sex bias and a bias of preferring adaptive explanations over other types of evolutionary explanations. I shall review the familiar theory that orgasm evolved to support the bond between the man and the woman\, as well as the theory that the sperm is sucked into the womb during orgasm with a high-quality male. The best-supported theory is the account stating that female orgasm is a bonus of direct selection on the male orgasm\, and is not a direct adaptation in the female that we can detect. I shall discuss the biases that led the biologists and the rest of the public astray\, that is\, that led to the widely-held but seemingly premature dismissal of the bonus account\, and the wide-spread acceptance of the unsupported accounts. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nElisabeth Lloyd received her B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1980\, and her Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1984\, where she worked with Bas van Fraassen. She has received numerous awards and grants\, including several from the National Science Foundation. Her research interests are primarily in the philosophy of biology\, general philosophy of science\, the role of models in science\, and gender issues in science. She has recently taught courses in these areas as well as a graduate seminar on the American pragmatists\, and one of the philosophy surveys in our department. Her publications include The Structure and Confirmation of Evolutionary Theory (Greenwood Press\, 1988; Princeton University Press\, 1994) and “Feyerabend\, Mill\, and Pluralism” (Philosophy of Science\, 1997). \nProfessor Lloyd holds the Arnold and Maxine Tanis Chair of History and Philosophy of Science. She is also Professor of Biology\, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy\, Affiliated Faculty Scholar at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex\, Gender and Reproduction\, and Adjunct Faculty at the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior. \nRead more about Elizabeth Lloyd. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/elisabeth-lloyd-orgasm-wars/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Biology,Public Lectures,Rotman Lectures ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/lloydFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150305T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150305T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T181624Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170818T181624Z UID:18140-1425551400-1425556800@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Elisabeth Lloyd: Robustness as a Confirmatory Virtue DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nBoth climate scientists and philosophers have been working hard to understand how the huge multidimensional global climate models can be tested and confirmed. The convergence of multiple climate models on a single outcome or result has provided a key feature in these discussions. Philosophers of science tend to think that such convergence\, or “robustness\,” is not confirmatory\, because the models could converge and still all be wrong. Climate scientists\, on the other hand\, do tend to see the convergence of climate models on a result as confirmatory. I will offer a defense and generalization of the climate scientists’ position\, while differentiating their style of robustness from others considered by philosophers. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nElisabeth Lloyd received her B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1980\, and her Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1984\, where she worked with Bas van Fraassen. She has received numerous awards and grants\, including several from the National Science Foundation. Her research interests are primarily in the philosophy of biology\, general philosophy of science\, the role of models in science\, and gender issues in science. She has recently taught courses in these areas as well as a graduate seminar on the American pragmatists\, and one of the philosophy surveys in our department. Her publications include The Structure and Confirmation of Evolutionary Theory (Greenwood Press\, 1988; Princeton University Press\, 1994) and “Feyerabend\, Mill\, and Pluralism” (Philosophy of Science\, 1997). \nProfessor Lloyd holds the Arnold and Maxine Tanis Chair of History and Philosophy of Science. She is also Professor of Biology\, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy\, Affiliated Faculty Scholar at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex\, Gender and Reproduction\, and Adjunct Faculty at the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior. \nRead more about Elizabeth Lloyd. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/elisabeth-lloyd-robustness-confirmatory-virtue/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy,Philosophy of Biology ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/lloydFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150302T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150302T160000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T181852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181018T184550Z UID:18142-1425304800-1425312000@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Robert DiSalle: Gravity\, Geometry\, and Philosophy: 100 Years in Einstein’s Universe DESCRIPTION:One hundred years ago\, in November 1915\, Albert Einstein achieved his long-sought theory of gravitation: the General Theory of Relativity. In developing the General Theory\, Einstein brought together ideas from philosophy\, mathematics\, and physics\, to create a remarkable new conception of gravity\, space\, and time. His work is a model of the engagement between philosophy and science that is the main mission of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. To celebrate the achievements of the 20th century’s greatest philosopher-scientist\, the Rotman Institute is pleased to announce Einstein@Rotman 2015 – a year-long program of activities for both scholars and the general public\, centred around the stunning successes and enduring mysteries of Einstein’s ideas. \nABSTRACT\n\nIn this inaugural lecture\, you will learn how Einstein’s philosophical reflections on space\, time\, and gravity transformed our view of the nature and structure of the cosmos. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nRobert DiSalle is a professor of philosophy at Western University\, and the author of “Understanding Space-Time: The Philosophical Development of Physics from Newton to Einstein” (Cambridge University Press). \nRead more about Robert Disalle. \n  \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/robert-disalle-gravity-geometry-philosophy-100-years-einsteins-universe/ LOCATION:Wolf Performance Hall – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, N6A 6H9\, Canada CATEGORIES:Einstein at Rotman,History of Philosophy of Science,Philosophy of Physics,Public Events,Public Lectures ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/inauguralFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20150116T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20150116T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170818T182141Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200608T160623Z UID:18146-1421404200-1421409600@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Sarah Hannan: Why Parental Interests Cannot Justify Unlimited Procreation DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nMany people believe that procreation is permissible in light of the powerful interest would-be parents have in rearing children. This paper challenges that assumption\, and progresses in three sections. First\, I argue that childhood is bad for children in many significant ways. Second\, I suggest that the badness of childhood poses a challenge for those who think that an interest in occupying the role of parent can ground a moral right to procreate. Analogous role cases illustrate that we do not normally think it is permissible to put individuals in a bad state—even temporarily—so that we might help them out of it. For instance\, it is clear that one should not injure others in order to create a need for doctors\, and thus satisfy her interest in occupying that role. Finally\, I argue that even if we concede that parental interests are capable of morally justifying procreation\, these same interests also limit the exercise of procreative rights. The unlimited procreative freedom assumed by many\, and enshrined in various human rights documents\, cannot be justified. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nSarah Hannan received her D.Phil. in Political Theory from Oxford. Her dissertation was entitled “Balancing Parental Authority and Children’s Rights: A Role-Based Solution.” While at Stanford\, Hannan joined the Spencer Project\, examining equality of opportunity in education. She developed sections of her thesis for publication and work on issues surrounding the purported right to procreate. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg\, Canada. \nRead more about Sarah Hannan. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/sarah-hannan-parental-interests-cannot-justify-unlimited-procreation/ LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ethics ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/globalFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141114T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141114T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T001918Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200608T162714Z UID:18261-1415961000-1415966400@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Peter Achinstein: What is a Theory of Everything and Why Should We Want One? DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nScientists and philosophers who seek\, or advocate seeking\, a “theory of everything” (e.g.\, string theory\, Thomas Nagel’s panpsychic theory\, David Chalmers’ “construction of the world”) want to produce a grand\, unifying theory that can explain everything on the basis of fundamental laws and constituents of the universe. Advocates of this idea offer very general empirical\, or a priori\, or methodological reasons for doing so. These reasons are worth examining and criticizing. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nPeter Achinstein specializes in philosophy of science and has interests in the history of science as well. In addition to numerous articles and reviews in these fields\, he is the author of Concepts of Science (1968)\, Law and Explanation (1971)\, The Nature of Explanation (1983)\, and Particles and Waves (1991). The latter\, which received the Lakatos Award\, is a study of methodological problems arising from three episodes in 19th-century physics: the wave-particle debate about light\, the development of the kinetic-molecular theory\, and the discovery of the electron. Recent publications include The Book of Evidence (2001)\, which develops a theory of scientific evidence and applies it to cases in the history of science\, Science Rules: A Historical Introduction to Scientific Methods (2004)\, Scientific Evidence (2005)\, and Evidence\, Explanation\, and Realism (2010)\, which is a collection of his essays. In 2011\, he was honored by a festschrift\, Philosophy of Science Matters: The Philosophy of Peter Achinstein. This contains 20 papers on his work by former students and other important writers. His latest work\, Evidence and Method\, which discusses the scientific methods of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell\, will be published in 2013. He has held Guggenheim\, NEH\, and NSF fellowships\, and has served as a visiting professor at MIT\, Stanford\, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a founder and Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for History and Philosophy of Science. \nRead more about Peter Achinstein. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/peter-achinstein-theory-everything-want-one/ LOCATION:Room 1145 – Stevenson Hall\, Stevenson Hall\, Room 1145\, London\, Ontario\, N6G 2V4\, Canada CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Science ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/achinsteinFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141113T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141113T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T002213Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170819T002213Z UID:18264-1415874600-1415880000@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Peter Achinstein: Who Needs Proof? James Clerk Maxwell on Scientific Method DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nIsaac Newton famously claimed that hypotheses\, i.e.\, unproved propositions\, have no place in “experimental philosophy.” Maxwell disagreed and proposed three methods that can legitmately be employed when a scientist lacks proof for a theory\, or even a theory to be proved. What are these methods\, and are they legitimate? \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n \nPeter Achinstein specializes in philosophy of science and has interests in the history of science as well. In addition to numerous articles and reviews in these fields\, he is the author of Concepts of Science (1968)\, Law and Explanation (1971)\, The Nature of Explanation (1983)\, and Particles and Waves (1991). The latter\, which received the Lakatos Award\, is a study of methodological problems arising from three episodes in 19th-century physics: the wave-particle debate about light\, the development of the kinetic-molecular theory\, and the discovery of the electron. Recent publications include The Book of Evidence (2001)\, which develops a theory of scientific evidence and applies it to cases in the history of science\, Science Rules: A Historical Introduction to Scientific Methods (2004)\, Scientific Evidence (2005)\, and Evidence\, Explanation\, and Realism (2010)\, which is a collection of his essays. In 2011\, he was honored by a festschrift\, Philosophy of Science Matters: The Philosophy of Peter Achinstein. This contains 20 papers on his work by former students and other important writers. His latest work\, Evidence and Method\, which discusses the scientific methods of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell\, will be published in 2013. He has held Guggenheim\, NEH\, and NSF fellowships\, and has served as a visiting professor at MIT\, Stanford\, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is a founder and Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for History and Philosophy of Science. \nRead more about Peter Achinstein. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/peter-achinstein-needs-proof-james-clerk-maxwell-scientific-method/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Science ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/achinsteinFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141110T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141110T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T002350Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170819T002350Z UID:18266-1415615400-1415620800@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Ioannis Votsis: Debunking the Instrument Conspiracy DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nObservations made through instruments that cannot also be made with our unaided sensory organs lack epistemic credibility\, claim the constructive empiricists. One well-known challenge to this view draws attention to the fact that distinct types of instruments have been known to yield the same or at least highly similar observational outputs. The implication\, of course\, is that the convergence of output is evidence of the ability of those instruments to detect real features of the world. To meet this challenge\, the constructive empiricist attempts to argue that the convergence is an artefact of the practice of calibration. In this talk\, I argue that this is desperate\, conspiratorial\, attempt to rule out the veridicality of the output of instruments. My inquiry is framed around a broader discussion of what makes unaided sensory organs epistemically credible. Surprisingly\, constructive empiricists say nothing on this matter. Against this background\, I put forth a proposal for what lends unaided sensory organs epistemic credibility and\, unsurprisingly\, argue that the same credibility is extended to several types of instruments. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\nIoannis Votsis a Senior Lecturer at the New College of the Humanities in London and the Assistant Director of the Duesseldorf Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science. His main area of expertise is the philosophy of science but he also has active research interests in metaphysics\, philosophy of language\, philosophy of logic\, philosophy of artificial intelligence and meta-philosophy. \nRead more about Ioannis Votsis. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/ioannis-votsis-debunking-instrument-conspiracy/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Philosophy of Science ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/globalFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141029T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141029T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T002639Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181018T184936Z UID:18268-1414594800-1414602000@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Leonard Smith and Erica Thompson: Doing Science in the Dark: The Challenges of Climate-Like Science DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nClimate prediction and weather prediction are very different: due to constant refinements and new techniques\, the life time of a climate model is much less than the forecast we ask it to make\, whereas the same weather model can be used to forecast tomorrow’s weather\, day after day\, for months if not years — allowing us to learn from our mistakes. By contrast\, climate science is continually exploring new territory\, using new and unproven techniques. The challenges of doing science partly in the dark\, past successes and failures\, and many examples will be discussed. No background knowledge of climate\, weather or maths will be assumed. \nSPEAKER PROFILES\n\n \nLeonard Smith is the Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Time Series (CATS) and Research Professor in the Department of Statistics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Professor Smith has been developing\, within CATS\, a coherent framework for using imperfect models to better understand and predict real dynamical systems. This has involved working with operational weather models of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts\, the UK Met Office\, the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction and the US Naval Research Laboratory’s NOGAPS system. He is also involved in developing methods of experimental design for climate-like applications based within the framework of Indistinguishable States. He is currently working on the experimental design for the EU ENSEMBLES project and the analysis of data from the DEMETER project. \nRead more about Leonard Smith. \nErica Thompson is a Research Officer at CATS. Her interests focus on how to identify meaningful and useful projections of future climate\, how different types of model output can be used to inform these projections\, and how to think about uncertainty. She looked at some of these questions in the context of North Atlantic storms for her PhD at Imperial College. Her background is in the physical sciences\, having studied physics and mathematics at Cambridge University. Erica has also worked for the UK Energy Research Centre on an assessment of global oil depletion and for the Grantham Institute at Imperial College as a research assistant in climate policy; she is also interested in climate and energy policy and the role of scientific advice in policy-making. \nEVENT VIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/leonard-smith-erica-thompson-science-dark-challenges-climate-like-science/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy,Library Lectures,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/conferenceFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20141023 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20141027 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T002916Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181220T202026Z UID:18270-1414094400-1414353599@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Rotman 2014 Annual Conference: Knowledge and Models in Climate Science DESCRIPTION:CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION\n\nThe Rotman Institute of Philosophy second annual conference\, Knowledge and Models in Climate Science: Philosophical\, Historical\, and Scientific Perspectives\, took place on Oct. 24-26\, 2014. The conference brought together researchers to discuss the use of models in understanding the climate from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Models and computer simulations are essential not only for understanding the factors determining climate processes\, but also for evaluating how changes in climate will affect ecosystems and human societies. Recent gains in modeling precision and realism have allowed climate researchers to address both questions more confidently\, yet there are many remaining sources of uncertainty. Participants in the conference explored different approaches to modeling in order to gain a better understanding of the nature\, strengths and limitations of the knowledge it produces\, and built a better understanding of the means by which these uncertainties can be managed. \nSCHEDULE\n\nPlenary speakers at the conference were: \nGregor Betz (Karlsruher Institute for Technology)\nPaul Edwards (University of Michigan)\nJames Fleming (Colby College)\nReto Knutti (ETH Zurich)\nRobert Lempert (Pardee RAND Graduate School)\nLinda Mearns (National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR))\nWendy Parker (Durham University)\nGavin Schmidt (National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA))\nLeonard Smith (London School of Economics)\nEric Winsberg (The University of South Florida)\nCharlotte Werndl (University of Salzburg) \nDownload conference poster. \nVIDEO PLAYLIST URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/rotman-2014-annual-conference-knowledge-models-climate-science/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Annual Rotman Conferences,Conference,Ecological Philosophy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/conference2FCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141023T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141023T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T003238Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181017T152939Z UID:18272-1414076400-1414083600@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Public Panel Discussion: Climate Change: What is to be done? DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nA public panel discussion about what can\, and what should\, be done about climate change\, with a focus on interplay between various levels of action – community\, national\, and international. Also discussed will be how we can cut through the ideological noise around the issue of climate change. \nSPEAKER PROFILES\n\nGary Brown\nGary Brown is active in politics within the City of London\, and in addition to supporting many environmental and community groups\, serves as a board member on the Old South Community Organization. He has run three times for provincial office in London West. He is the principle organizer of London’s largest community festival\, Gathering on the Green\, is a volunteer for ReForest London\, and sits on the newly formed Cycling Advisory Committee. \nRadoslav Dimitrov\nRadoslav Dimitrov specializes in global environmental politics\, international climate change negotiations\, and UN diplomacy. Theoretical work: science and environmental policy\, argumentation and persuasion in politics\, and norms in world politics. His award-winning work introduced the concept of nonregimes to the field of global governance\, through studies on coral reefs policy and global forest negotiations. Read more about Radoslav Dimitrov. \nHeather Douglas\nHeather Douglas received her PhD in History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) at the University of Pittsburgh in 1998. From 1998-2004\, She was the Phibbs Assistant Professor of Science and Ethics at the University of Puget Sound. She then worked in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee (2004-2011). She spent a year at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh as a visiting fellow (2010-2011) and a semester as a visiting professor in HPS at Pitt before taking up her position at the University of Waterloo in 2012. Read more about Heather Douglas. \nJeffrey Simpson\nSimpson was born in New York and moved to Canada when he was 10 years old. He was educated at the University of Toronto. He graduated from Queen’s University in 1971 in History and Political Science. While at Queen’s he worked for the campus radio station CFRC. He won the University’s Tricolour Award in his graduating year. He then went on to the London School of Economics. In 1972–1973\, he worked as a Parliamentary Intern in Ottawa where he worked for Ed Broadbent. A year later\, he joined The Globe and Mail newspaper. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/public-panel-discussion-climate-change-done/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy,Library Lectures,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/panelFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141022T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141022T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T003620Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170819T003620Z UID:18275-1413990000-1413997200@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Roman Frigg: Climate Change and Intergenerational Justice DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nShould we take drastic measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions now\, or should we continue our current practices and leave it to future generations to adapt to the effects of climate change? Opinions on this issue are divided. In this lecture I explain the terms of the debate in plain English (no knowledge of either climate science or economics is presupposed)\, and defend what I think is the most reasonable position. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nRoman Frigg is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy\, Logic and Scientific Method\, Director of the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science (CPNSS)\, and Co-Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Time Series (CATS) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a permanent visiting professor in the Munich Centre for Mathematical Philosophy of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. He held visiting appointments in the Rotman Institute of Philosophy of the University of Western Ontario\, the Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities of the University of Utrecht\, the Sydney Centre for the Foundations of Science of the University of Sydney\, and the Department of Logic\, History and Philosophy of Science of the University of Barcelona. He is associate editor of the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science\, member of the steering committee of the European Philosophy of Science Association\, and serves on a number of editorial and advisory boards. \nHe holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of London and masters degrees both in theoretical physics and philosophy from the University of Basel\, Switzerland. His research interests lie in general philosophy of science and philosophy of physics\, and he has published papers on climate change\, quantum mechanics\, statistical mechanics\, randomness\, chaos\, complexity\, probability\, scientific realism\, computer simulations\, modelling\, scientific representation\, reductionism\, confirmation\, and the relation between art and science. His current work focuses on predictability and climate change\, the foundation of statistical mechanics\, and the nature of scientific models and theories. \nRead more about Roman Frigg. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/roman-frigg-climate-change-intergenerational-justice/ LOCATION:Ontario CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/globalFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141015T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141015T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T003959Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181018T184749Z UID:18277-1413385200-1413392400@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Gillian Barker: Ecological Thinking about Climate Change: A New Paradigm? DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nA growing group of scientists and activists is calling for a “paradigm shift” in our thinking about the threat of climate change and how best to respond to it—a shift to an ecological approach that emphasizes the role of living systems. What do they mean? Are they right? \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nGillian Barker is a philosopher of science with interdisciplinary training in the philosophy\, history\, and social studies of science from the University of Toronto and the University of California\, San Diego. Gillian’s dissertation research investigated how scientists move from data about particular instances to knowledge about general patterns in the world\, looking at the use of idealized models\, analogies and metaphors in achieving this transition. She continues to work on questions about the origin and role of the conceptual models that shape scientific thought. She has written on the implications of naturalism—thinking scientifically about philosophical issues—for our understanding of functions\, goals\, purposes and meanings\, and for our conceptions of ‘rightness’ and ‘wrongness’ both in ethics and in the broader sense. Her current work focuses on how organisms actively control aspects of their own environments\, including other organisms\, and what this implies for our understanding of their evolution and behavior. \nFor more information on Gillian Barker’s research and publications\, please see her research website. \nVIDEO URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/gillian-barker-ecological-thinking-climate-change-new-paradigm/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy,Library Lectures,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/globalFCA.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20141008T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20141008T170000 DTSTAMP:20260404T015259 CREATED:20170819T004214Z LAST-MODIFIED:20181018T184658Z UID:18279-1412780400-1412787600@www.rotman.uwo.ca SUMMARY:Wayne Myrvold: What Do You Bring to a Street Fight? DESCRIPTION:ABSTRACT\n\nAn editorial in the journal Nature warned climate scientists that they must acknowledge that\, like it or not\, they are in a street fight. Climate scientists have been the targets of a well-funded\, orchestrated campaign to discredit them and their work. In this talk\, I will raise the question of what scientists can do in the face of such tactics and what we\, as citizens aiming to remain well-informed on matters of importance\, can do. \nSPEAKER PROFILE\n\n\nWayne Myrvold is a philosopher of science\, whose work is chiefly concerned with the philosophy of physics\, and\, in particular with the interpretation of quantum mechanics. He has interest in confirmation theory (or perhaps\, better\, in the relation between theory and evidence)\, and has done work on this in a Bayesian context. He has a long-standing interest in the philosophy of biology which has yet to result in any published contributions to that field. \nHe has been a member of the Philosophy Department at Western since 1997. In AY 2004-2005\, he spent half of a sabbatical year at the University of Oxford\, and in AY 08-09 spent a fully year there as a visiting Departmental Lecturer in the Philosophy of Physics. In the Winter Term of 2011 he was visiting faculty in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an Affiliate Member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is a member of the Time and Universe research cluster. He is also Subject Editor for Quantum Mechanics for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and is on the Editorial Board for Philosophy of Science \nRead more about Wayne Myrvold. \nVIDEO\n\n \n This event is co-sponsored with the Department of Philosophy and the London Public Library. URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/wayne-myrvold-bring-street-fight/ LOCATION:Stevenson & Hunt Room A – Central Library\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, Ontario\, Canada CATEGORIES:Ecological Philosophy,Library Lectures,Public Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/globalFCA.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR